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BCCI Eyeing Investment In The Hundred? Lancashire CEO Spills The Beans

Soumyajit Dutta

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma [Source: @vk_Cult03/X]Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma [Source: @vk_Cult03/X]

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), known for tightly controlling its players’ involvement in overseas T20 leagues, faces an intriguing proposition, that is acquiring a stake in England’s The Hundred. 

With the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is currently ongoing and dominating the global franchise circuit due to its exclusive access to India’s cricketing icons, such a move could reshape dynamics. 

Could the BCCI Invest in England’s The Hundred?

Lancashire CEO Daniel Gidney suggests that aligning the BCCI’s interests through minority ownership might incentivize the board to permit active Indian stars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to feature in the ECB’s tournament, a scenario currently barred under existing policies.

The ECB’s search for investors ahead of its April deadline has sparked discussions about strategic partnerships. While retired Indian players like Dinesh Karthik have appeared in leagues such as SA20, active stars remain confined to the IPL. Gidney argues that collaboration, rather than isolated requests, could bridge this gap.

“I think it’s possible. If I was the ECB, I’d be talking about perhaps bringing the BCCI in as a minority ownership partner in the tournament as a whole. If you do that, then you are aligning interests. That is probably your best chance of getting [Indian men’s] players in the Hundred. It comes down to the will, and the individuals on both sides.” Gidney told ESPNcricinfo.

Gidney emphasized the BCCI’s success in safeguarding the IPL’s commercial supremacy, stating, “If I was the BCCI, I would need a significant incentive to relax the current policy…that has grown the IPL into the massive commercial entity that it is.” 

Gidney Marks Way To Build The Audience

Gidney proposed fostering deeper ties, such as leveraging existing relationships with figures like VVS Laxman, a Lancashire alumnus now at India’s National Cricket Academy, to build trust.

The Lancashire CEO also floated the idea of IPL franchises playing exhibition matches in England, like an “LSG vs Delhi Capitals game at Emirates Old Trafford,” to engage the UK’s Indian fanbase. 

Such initiatives, he argued, could pave the way for broader collaboration while making “commercial sense for everybody.” While the collaboration is still far-fetched, a bold consideration can see a much greater audience pool from Europe driving towards IPL viewership as well.